After lunch it began to grow cold, and they decided to return to the cabin and await Bill with his spoils from the traps. The lads followed their back-trail, and were soon in sight of the little log shelter.
They went at once to the cage containing the lynx, and when they reached it, drew back in alarm. The savage inmate had chewed and clawed two bars of his prison until they were all but in half. The merest push or jump of the lynx would snap them asunder and gain him his freedom.
“Great Scott! What shall we do?” cried Ed.
“Don’t go in front of it,” advised George. “If you do, he’ll jump; and then, out he comes! We’ll sneak up from the side, throw our coats over the front of the cage and run into the cabin with it.”
“Hurry! He’s getting ready to spring!” warned Ed.
Creeping up to it from the sides, the boys each grabbed an end of the heavy crate. Pulling and tugging with all their might, they managed to drag it into the cabin.
Hardly were they over the threshold, with the door securely fastened behind them, when the lynx did the very thing they feared it might do—it jumped against the front of the cage! There was an ugly snarl, a snapping of weakened logs, and the released captive bounded into the center of the room and faced them.
The boys made record time out through the doorway. Once outside, they slammed the door shut and stood looking at each other with troubled faces.
“The window, quick!” screamed Ed.
George immediately ran to it and hung his coat over the outside, in the hope of preventing the lynx from jumping through the sash. Then he hastily rejoined his friend, who stood braced against the door, anxiously awaiting some sound from within.